Pit Bulls

Dog Fighting. I heard by email from PETA recently. PETA stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. I thought I would share this new development with you.

The email was signed by Kristin DeJournett. I Googled her. I found out that she is a well-known and respected animal rights campaigner. This is what she wrote to me:

“I’m a cruelty caseworker with PETA and we were forwarded a news article in which you discuss dog fighting in Anguilla. PETA is always interested in shutting down dog fighting whenever and wherever possible, and we’d like to see if you would work with us to get this investigated. Your anonymity is 100% guaranteed, unless you desire otherwise. We cannot guarantee results, but we will do whatever we can to stop animal fighting.”

With her permission, I forwarded her email to several contacts. I picked the ones who should know about dog fighting in Anguilla. Some I met and spoke to. Some telephoned me and spoke to me. One wrote back,

“Yes, there is a serious dog fighting problem in axa. I would prefer not to write about it. We will talk on Friday. Be careful.”

Another wrote earlier,

“There is some truth in what you heard at the beach. The exact story is that Morlens was fire bombed. This happened while Dr. Vanterpool was involved in writing the legislation for the Government regarding banning the importation of Pitt Bulls. Many Pitt Bull owners were unhappy with him. The ramifications can be deadly for those that intervene and that is why it is a Police matter. If you have any other questions you may want to ask Dr. Vanterpool.”

At the farewell ceremony for the outgoing Chief Justice, I sat in court next to the Commissioner of Police, Keithley Benjamin. I told him what I had learned. I asked him what was the status of the investigations. He replied,

“There is no investigation of dog fighting in Anguilla. I have never heard of a report of organised dog fighting in Anguilla.”

I have to say, at that point I thought the Commissioner appeared to be a bit out of touch. So, I did not ask him anything further about the reports I had received. I have now spoken to and exchanged emails with several persons who had contact with the police over this issue in past years.

One group associated with AARF was trying to stop organised dog fighting in Anguilla. To his credit, they included the vet, Patrick Vanterpool. I am told the campaign did not get anywhere. Dr Vanterpool had his life threatened. His veterinary surgery was firebombed. One of the principal dog fighting organisers was said to be the son of a Chief Minister. He has strenuously denied any involvement in dog fighting, by the way. Another organiser was said to be the nephew of a different Chief Minister. I do not know his name and have not spoken to him. The police dropped the investigation. They appeared to lose interest. The pressure on the police and the AARF campaigners to cease and desist proved irresistable. The campaigners regressed into looking out for the interests of stray dogs and pets. They took their eyes off the ball. They left it to the police. Now, it seems, even the police are in denial that reports were even made to them.

There are two reasons why dog fighting is illegal in Anguilla. One is because it is an offence of cruelty against section 2 of the Protection of Animals Act. The penalty is a fine of EC$4,800.00 or six months imprisonment.

Dog fighting also involves the offence of gambling contrary to section 337 of the Criminal Code. The whole point of organised dog fighting is the gambling associated with it. The dogs fight in a ring with the gamblers assembled around. They are not there just for the thrill of seeing the dogs kill each other. Each dog owner pays a premium to put his dog in the ring. I am told that it is a minimum of US$5,000.00. Large sums of money change hands as the spectators place their bets on the outcome of each fight. We can expect that large amounts, hundreds of thousands of US dollars, change hands in one night.

You would think that the penalties for this type of gambling would be appropriately significant. I had a look at the laws of Anguilla. The penalty for the organiser of a gambling event is one year's imprisonment and a fine of EC$1,000.00. You may well consider that fine ludicrously low. The penalty for anyone found in the place is imprisonment for 6 months or a fine of EC$500.00. The penalty for the actual gamblers is the less than impressive amount of a sentence of up to 3 months or a fine of EC$250.00.

You have told me the stories. You have shared the rumours with me. I know the names of some of the persons alleged to be the ring-leaders. I know some of the alleged locations of the fighting and gambling. I have heard about all your fears and concerns. Now, I want the evidence. Some of you will have trophy photographs of the dogs in action. Perhaps taken by a long since discarded boyfriend. Some of you might have recordings of conversations between the perpetrators. Some of you may have photographs of the players standing around the pits. Others may have taken lists of the licence numbers of the cars parked at the venues.

I need the names, addresses and dates. I need the photographs and tape recordings. Your anonymity is guaranteed. I would like to send all this to Ms DeJournett. It is likely that only a gutsy organisation like PETA will be able to help us get rid of this vile business in Anguilla.

I accept that there is no point sending any of it to the Royal Anguilla Police Force.

Pit Bulls

It Is not Illegal to Own a Pit Bull. I was told to read the Dogs Act of Anguilla. I learned a number of things I did not know before. I am telling you now, so you cannot say you did not know. First, the good news. It is not illegal to own a pit bull in Anguilla. Now, the bad news. Practically anything else you can do with one involves an offence, if the authorities can get the evidence.

Section 8 reads as follows:

Prohibition on breeding of pit bull terrier

8. (1) It is prohibited to breed or breed from, give, sell, exchange or gift, any dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier or other dog of a type which is bred for fighting or which has the characteristics of a dog so bred.

(2) Any person who contravenes this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine of $4,500.

(3) Where a person is convicted of an offence under this section, the court may order the destruction of any dog in respect of which the offence was committed.

As I read that section, it means that it is an offence to breed a pit bull. It is illegal to give one away. It is illegal to sell one. If you do any of these things, you commit an offence the fine for which is up to $4,500.00.

Section 17 also applies to pit bulls. It reads as follows:

Ferocious dogs

17. (1) No person shall import any dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier or other ferocious dog and any dog so imported shall be seized and forfeited to the Crown, unless the person who imports the dog proves to the satisfaction of the Chief Veterinary Officer that the dog is not of a type known as the pit bull terrier or is not a ferocious dog.

(2) Every person who keeps a dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier or a ferocious dog shall have the dog spayed or castrated in a prescribed manner by an approved veterinary surgeon and produce the certificate to the Director when applying for a licence in respect of that dog.

(3) The keeper of a dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier or a ferocious dog shall not allow such a dog to be in a public place without being muzzled and kept on a lead or abandon it or allow it to stray.

(4) No person shall suffer to be at large any unmuzzled dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier or ferocious dog.

(5) Any person who contravenes the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine of $10,000.

(6) Where a person is convicted of an offence under subsection (3) or (4), the court may order the destruction of any dog in respect of which the offence was committed.

As I read the above, it is an offence to import a pit bull. The importer commits an offence. It is an offence to allow it to be in a public place without wearing a muzzle. Every pit bull on Anguilla is required to be spayed. If you own a pit bull which is not spayed, you commit an offence. If you allow it to go into a public space without wearing a muzzle, you commit an offence. The penalty for any of these offences is a fine of up to $10,000.00.

This law is now several years old. That means that most pit bulls in Anguilla should be dying out from old age by now. Breeding is illegal. There can be no young pit bull on Anguilla which has not been involved in the commission of a crime.

Not that any of the above matters. The law is a joke when it comes to enforcing compliance. It is not an offence to receive a pit bull as a gift. It is not an offence to purchase a pit bull. It is not an offence to own a pit bull. Without me giving evidence, it is impossible for the authorities to prove who sold it to me, or gave it to me.

The one thing they can prove is that I own it or have it in my possession. That is the one thing that is not an offence.

Talk about a pointless, stupid, badly drafted, law!

Crime 4

The Anguilla Situation. We are looking at the World Bank report “Crime, Violence and Development: Trends, Costs and Policy Options in the Caribbean” published on 3 May. It is essential reading for any concerned Anguillian. You can get it by clicking here.

The report helps us to understand that we cannot rely on the criminal justice system to reduce crime in Anguilla. Organised crime, drug and firearms trafficking, illicit gambling, prostitution, are generally impervious to prevention initiatives. Influential businessmen are investors in these illegal activities. Political leaders actively support and protect gang leaders and major criminals. Illegal fighting dogs and cockerels are openly, if illegally, imported into and exported out of Anguilla. Foreign girls destined for the sex industry are brought in and out of the island shielded by corrupt immigration officials. The police know about these activities, but turn their eyes aside. They brazenly claim they do not have a report of such criminal activity.

As with our neighbours, we have to invest in crime prevention. We have to use alternative approaches such as integrated citizen security programmes. That means effective neighbourhood watches. We have to learn how to improve crime prevention through environmental design. That means installing burglar bars and alarms. We need a public health approach that focuses on risk factors for violent behaviours. That means facing up to and dealing with juvenile delinquency by education and anger management courses conducted by trained professionals.

Is there anyone out there developing management information systems for the improvement of our criminal justice system? Is there anyone tracking the performance of the justice system? Who is monitoring any reform programme? Who in government is working to ensure increased accountability of the police and the justice system to our citizens? Secret reports to the Governor do not count.

Recent Issues

Recent Interesting Issues on Which Correspondence Has Been Received:

1. “Cocaine Imports”. Which Anguillian businessmen are the principal financiers? Photographs welcome, particularly if receiving or delivering a package.

2. “Cocaine Distribution”. Where are the major outlets? If they are so well known, why have they not been closed down? Photographs welcome.

3. “Dog Fighting”. Where are the most popular pits where dogs fight to the death? How is protection provided for the participants? Who arranges training? Is the ante still US$5,000.00 to put your dog in? Photographs would be appreciated. They will add a little colour.

4. “Prostitution”. Which are the houses that permit school girls to bring businessmen for paid sex? Which ones import girls from overseas? What keeps them from being closed down? Who controls immigration of the girls? There is only rumour, no evidence.

5. “Human Trafficking”. Is Anguilla Involved in Human Trafficking at this time, as one correspondent suggests? One way to get at an answer is to study an official definition of the term. We can start by looking at the following page taken from the website of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

“From Himalayan villages to Eastern European cities, people - especially women and girls - are attracted by the prospect of a well-paid job as a domestic servant, waitress or factory worker. Traffickers recruit victims through fake advertisements, mail-order bride catalogues and casual acquaintances.

Upon arrival at their destination, victims are placed in conditions controlled by traffickers while they are exploited to earn illicit revenues. Many are physically confined, their travel or identity documents are taken away and they or their families are threatened if they do not cooperate. Women and girls forced to work as prostitutes are blackmailed by the threat that traffickers will tell their families. Trafficked children are dependent on their traffickers for food, shelter and other basic necessities. Traffickers also play on victims' fears that authorities in a strange country will prosecute or deport them if they ask for help.

Trafficking in human beings is a global issue, but a lack of systematic research means that reliable data on the trafficking of human beings that would allow comparative analyses and the design of countermeasures is scarce. There is a need to strengthen the criminal justice response to trafficking through legislative reform, awareness-raising and training, as well as through national and international cooperation. The support and protection of victims who give evidence is key to prosecuting the ringleaders behind the phenomenon.”

Another useful site is the web page taken from the website of the Administration for Children and Families

Trafficking in persons is to be distinguished from alien smuggling. See the very instructive web page on the website of the US Department of State.

From such study, we can conclude that if any Anguillian official received a financial reward to permit the Far East labour that has recently come to soujourn with us in the West End of the island, a high crime may well have been committed.

6. “How to Cover Your Tracks”. Two different correspondents point out that there are some additional precautions you should consider. They include:

(a) When retiring or resigning from a corrupt employer, photograph all the relevant documents relating to questionable transactions before you leave. It costs nothing, and you never know when you will need them! Make sure you do not get caught. Transfer any tape recordings to digital format, they are easier to store and last longer. Keep a back-up on a thumb drive in a secure location, like a safety deposit at your bank.

(b) “Recent File Lists” tell an employer what documents you have been recently working on.

(c) An employer can often tell when a “USB device” was connected to a computer by looking into the registry using forensic tools.

(d) Windows creates files called “prefetch” which can tell an employer when a programme was launched. This can include disk wiping tools. Tools like this are generally not installed as a matter of course. So, while he cannot ascertain what was deleted, he can know that someone was trying to hide something on the computer.